Icelandic Folk Legends: Tales of apparitions, outlaws and things unseen - Softcover

Sigmundsd�ttir, Alda

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9789935917737: Icelandic Folk Legends: Tales of apparitions, outlaws and things unseen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9935917738 ISBN 13: 9789935917737

Publisher: Enska textasmidjan, 2013

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The Icelandic nation has a long and rich history of storytelling. Throughout centuries characterized by hardship, poverty and dark winters, the Icelanders kept their spirits high and moral values intact by telling each other stories. In this collection of 15 Icelandic folk legends, we get a glimpse of the world-view of the Icelanders in centuries past as they endeavored to understand and cope with the natural phenomena around them. There are stories of malicious ghosts, outlaws living in carved-out boulders, hidden people residing in grassy knolls, trolls that are tripped up by their own stupidity, and much more. In addition, there is one story exemplifying a fairy tale motif that scholars have discovered to be unique to Iceland: that of the good stepmother (The Story of Himinbj�rg). Throughout we get a powerful sense of the Icelanders' beliefs, values and fears, as well as their strong need to cling to all that was pure and good. Twelve of these stories were previously published in physical form on two separate occasions. The book has been out of print for about four years. In this edition, an introduction has been added, as well as a "field guide" to the various apparitions that appear in the book, and three more stories.

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About the Author:

Alda Sigmundsd�ttir is an Icelandic-born writer, journalist, translator and blogger. She is author of Unraveled, a Novel About a Meltdown, The Little Book of the Icelanders, a humorous take on the quirks and foibles of the Icelandic people, and Living Inside the Meltdown, about the effects of Iceland's financial crash on ordinary citizens. English is her first language, and she has written extensively about Iceland for the international media. Her translations from Icelandic to English are diverse and numerous, ranging from advertising copy to published fiction and non-fiction.

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